EU to pledge EUR 800m for Iraq at donors’ summit

The pledge is set to be made during a two-day international donors’ conference which kicks off in Madrid today.

Some €200 million is being provided by the European Commission, with €375 million over two years from the UK and €260 million from Spain.

Commission spokesman Diego de Ojeda said the aggregate EU donation next year “will add up to a figure in the vicinity of €700-750 million”.

While Iraq has vast oil reserves, assessments carried out by the World Bank and the UN indicate it could need €30 billion between now and 2007 to help it recover from the legacy of three wars under Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship.

Both France and Germany, the two member states most opposed to the US-led war in Iraq, have indicated they will not be announcing any fresh contributions at the conference. Germany has pointed out that it is already indirectly paying 25% of the €200m pledged by the Commission and that it is committed to training Iraqi police and helping to set up a new Iraqi army.

A mammoth security operation has been launched in Madrid for the conference. About 3,000 delegates from 70 countries are due to take part in the gathering at the Municipal Congress Palace.